Comment: No tears for Mutsvangwa

Axed War Veterans minister Christopher Mutsvangwa has finally met his comeuppance and no doubt there are many celebrating his downfall, which has been there for all to see since President Robert Mugabe publicly reprimanded him last month.

NewsDay Comment

Mutsvanga has more often than not pretended he was the only bull in the kraal, brandishing his war credentials to anyone who dared stand in his way or questioned him.

In all his boisterousness and verbosity, Mutsvangwa thought he transcended mortality and thought he had God’s ear, but Mugabe has sent him crashing down, fired from the politburo, the ministry and the ultimate humiliation, axed as chairman of the war veterans, a post that was so dear to him.

While Mutsvangwa may posture and say he does not care for the ministerial and politburo posts, the truth is that he cared for them and used them to prop up his stature.

Like all other people that have been fired, Mutsvangwa now sees the light and is making statements that would normally be associated with the opposition.

However, the sad reality is that it is too little too late and his short stint as a minister shall be the legacy that will accompany him all the days of his life.

Mutsvangwa, like the youth leaders that now want to portray themselves as victims rather than the prop that balanced Mugabe’s regime for years, was used as a willing blunt instrument to hound the likes of Zimbabwe People First leader Joice Mujuru and his predecessor, Jabulani Sibanda.

In the days leading up to his ouster, Mutsvangwa also had verbal spats with Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba and Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo, squabbles that were unnecessary, but petty.

An analysis of Mutsvangwa’s time in government will reveal that besides verbosity, he brought nothing to the table.

Mutsvangwa’s downfall should serve as a message to his colleagues in Zanu PF that centralising power around Mugabe and riding roughshod over political opponents were the most myopic decisions they have supported.

The Zanu PF members who were kicked out — Mutsvangwa, his wife Monica and the youth league leaders — made their beds and now in them they must lie and Zimbabweans should not shed a tear for them.

For years they had been part of a system that had little regard for people’s rights and believed their membership of Zanu PF was their be all and end all, but now they have been brought down to mother earth with the heaviest of thuds.

To the ones that remain in Zanu PF, they should use this time to try and reform the system because, as Mutsvangwa’s case shows, tables can turn anytime and you will need the people that were once your victims during your time at the top.

We hope Zanu PF leaders are learning their lessons that implementing the right reforms and promoting justice can be a good investment for their future. As events of the past two years have shown, no one is guaranteed permanency in that party.